


Andreil's Adventures in Dating Advice

by EmmmaMmmm



Series: Andreil's Adventures in Parenthood [5]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Bad Flirting, Dating Advice, Domestic Fluff, Explicit Language, Family Fluff, First Love, Fluff, M/M, Parenthood, Parents Neil Josten & Andrew Minyard, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Terrible Advice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27698914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmmaMmmm/pseuds/EmmmaMmmm
Summary: Harry bounced on the balls of his feet. “Dad, Papa, I have updates!” He held his arms out to his sides, as though waiting for a reaction. When he didn’t receive one, he barrelled on anyway. “Guess who’s not straight?”Neil frowned. “Uh... you?”He sighed, shaking his head. “Papa, come on. We crossed that bridge long ago."
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: Andreil's Adventures in Parenthood [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1963696
Comments: 7
Kudos: 291





	Andreil's Adventures in Dating Advice

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo if you read my recent one shot, you'll know that I said I probably wouldn't be able to update for a while butttttt I just finished and submitted an assignment and now have none due until next month so I have a little bit of time I guess. And this was just in my mind and needed to be written.
> 
> It's pretty much a follow on from the last fic in this series (Andreil's Adventures in First Love) so if you haven't read that one, you might still understand this but I'd recommend reading that (and probably the first one in the series) first. Anyway, enjoys :)
> 
> No warnings necessary except for explicit language.

Neil’s loud noise-induced panic attacks had long since become a thing of the past. He’d had to, really, when they’d adopted Harry, because for such a small boy, he really did create a lot of noise. It was this long-learned ease with loud noises that prevented him from even flinching when the door was flung open to reveal his son’s face.

Behind him was Andrew, apparently being dragged along by the wrist. The casual touch was another thing that Andrew had been forced to get used to, though Neil didn’t think he was exactly bitter about it. He’d seen Andrew’s face every time Harry hugged him, and more so than that, he’d seen the fondness. In his spare hand was a glass with orange juice in, which he’d clearly been in the middle of drinking when Harry had interrupted.

Harry practically threw Andrew’s arm in Neil’s direction. Years of Exy had made Andrew strong enough that it did nothing, but he went to sit beside Neil anyway, placing one hand on the small of his back in such a calm gesture of familiarity that it made Neil want to marry him all over again. He lamented the fact of its impossibility.

Harry bounced on the balls of his feet. “Dad, Papa, I have updates!” He held his arms out to his sides, as though waiting for a reaction. When he didn’t receive one, he barrelled on anyway. “Guess who’s not straight?”

Neil frowned. “Uh... you?”

He sighed, shaking his head. “Papa, come on. We crossed that bridge long ago. _No_ , it’s that boy I told you about. You know? The one I may or may not have a crush on?”

“I think we’re probably leaning towards the fact that you _may_ have a crush on him more than the idea that you may _not_ ,” said Neil, biting back the laughter because he knew what a big deal it had been coming out to them, even if they themselves were a same-sex couple.

Harry waved his hand dismissively. “So... I think I’m gonna ask him out. _And_ you said that you would be back at giving me advice on that so that’s why your husband is here.”

Andrew hummed. “I did wonder.”

“So? How do I ask him out?”

Andrew didn’t quite stiffen at that, but he did appear frozen for a while. His gaze was fixed on Harry but if Neil wasn’t next to him, he wasn’t sure he’d even be able to tell he was even alive were it not for the press of a warm hand into his back. He lifted his hand up, giggling into it as he realised the reason behind Andrew’s discomfort.

“Dad?”

“Have you considered offering to blow him?” Andrew’s voice was gruff.

Neil let out another bout of giggles, not bothering to hide it behind his hand anymore. Harry looked at Andrew for a moment, eyes wide in abject horror, then turned to look at Neil, apparently concerned.

“What?”

“Hit him in the torso with an Exy racquet?” There was a touch of disgust in Andrew’s voice; Neil leaned closer into his side in an effort to quench it. “Drug him on a night out? Threaten to kill him openly and in graphic detail?”

Harry gaped. “Is that how the two of you got together?”

Andrew took a long sip of juice. And then another. The juice was gone, but he still kept the glass up to his face. Neil giggled again.

“You said he was good at this!” Harry focused his attention on Neil then, who smiled a shit-eating grin.

“Yeah,” he said brightly, “I was just fucking with you. Andrew was _terrible_ when he tried to get me in bed with him.”

Harry hummed quietly. The look of concern had now faded from his features, giving way to what appeared to be a quiet curiosity. “But it worked?”

Andrew lowered the glass away from his face. “That was not an invitation to do any of the things I suggested!”

“Then why did you suggest them?”

Neil laughed, budging his shoulder against Andrew’s. “Because, sweet child of mine, your father is what’s known as a disaster gay who is, above all, completely incapable of expressing his feelings properly when a pretty boy is involved.”

Andrew nodded solemnly. “And Neil is the prettiest boy of all.”

Neil heart skipped a beat. Harry grimaced. “Gross.”

“Do you want advice or not?”

Harry nodded sharply, lowering himself to his knees in front of the coffee table. “I really want this to go well. Tell me what to do.”

“I can’t.” Andrew leaned forwards, his hand sliding away from the small of Neil’s back and instead tangling with his hand, squeezing once gently. “I don’t know this boy like you do.”

“But-!”

“What I tried with Neil...” Andrew trailed off, nose wrinkling. “Actually, backtrack. What I tried with Neil was toxic and violent, and I have no idea why he agreed to it. What _Neil_ tried with _me_...”

“What _did_ he try with you?” Harry looked between the two of them. “Was it healthier?”

“Much healthier,” nodded Andrew. “He made his intentions clear, he respected my boundaries, and he never asked for a truth without offering up one of his own. That’s the point I’m trying to get at, Harry. It has to be _personal_. My approach wouldn’t have worked on somebody who was mentally healthy-”

Neil pouted. “Hey!”

“-and Neil’s approach wouldn’t have worked if he just wanted to hook-up.”

He frowned. “But I _was_ just looking for a hook-up at the start.”

“Shush, honey,” said Andrew, squeezing Neil’s hand again. “The grown-ups are talking.”

Neil rolled his eyes. Andrew took that as a sign to continue.

“The point is that we could tell you hundreds of different ways to woo him,” said Andrew calmly, “but none of it would mean anything unless it was tailored to him and his interests. So what’s he interested in?”

Harry looked between his parents for a moment, then looked down at the coffee table, tapping at it rhythmically with his fingertips. “He likes music. And dogs. He has a dog – Munchkin. He named her, because he thought it would be funny to have an Alsatian called Munchkin. And it is. He likes indie music, and poetry slams, and... I really like his smile.”

“Gross. That’s gay.” Andrew said, and when Harry looked up at him in surprise, he winked. “So work with what you know. He likes music? Make him a mixtape. He likes dogs? Buy him a dog.”

“Andrew, no-”

“He likes indie music? Buy him an indie band!”

“I think we’ve gone a little off-topic here.”

Harry cut them both off with a laugh. “No, you’ve actually really helped me. I think I’m just gonna see if he wants to go to a concert with me. I have some money saved up for the tickets.”

“We’re professional Exy players,” said Andrew. “We can pay for two concert tickets.”

Harry shrugged shyly. “I think it’ll mean more to him if I buy them. Anyway, thanks for the help.”

He turned and walked out of the room, leaving the pair of them alone. Neil watched him leave, tilting his head to one side in confusion.

“How did he managed to figure out a good date from what we were saying?”

Andrew shrugged. “How did we manage to figure out a life-long relationship from me saying I’d blow you? Sometimes, life’s greatest mysteries don’t need an answer.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“And you’re adorable when you use long words that you don’t really know the meaning of.”

“Fuck you, Andrew Minyard.”

“Yeah? I love you too, Neil Josten.”


End file.
